That morning, the atmosphere inside the office of Wijaya Construction was far from normal. Instead of the usual workday routine, employees were running around in a full-blown frenzy. Phones rang off the hook, and a thick, suffocating tension enveloped the main boardroom.

Mr. Wijaya slammed his phone onto the mahogany table so hard the screen cracked. His face was deathly pale, cold sweat dripping down his temples.

"What is the meaning of this?!" Mr. Wijaya roared in fury. "How could every single backing bank pull our funding at the exact same time?! This is a conspiracy! We can't possibly go bankrupt overnight!"

Beside him, Mrs. Ratna was trembling uncontrollably. Her hands, usually draped over designer handbags, were now gripping the edge of the table for support. "Dear, the company secretary just called... an anonymous investor bought up all our debt this morning. They're demanding full repayment within 24 hours!"

"Who is this investor?! Find out!" Mr. Wijaya bellowed.

Just as the tension reached its breaking point, the boardroom doors burst open with a loud thud—not pushed, but kicked as if by someone who had ran out of patience.

The secretary rushed in breathless, panic written all over her face. "Mr. Wijaya... the... the investor... they're here!"

Mr. Wijaya stood up, adjusting his suit jacket with trembling hands, desperate to maintain his dignity. "Show them in! I want to see who dares to mess with the Wijaya family!"

A set of calm, deliberate, and authoritative footsteps echoed down the corridor. Employees froze in their tracks, staring toward the sound. A man stepped inside wearing a tailored navy three-piece tuxedo custom-imported from Italy. His polished leather shoes gleamed, forming a stark contrast with the dull office floor.

He wore dark sunglasses, but the commanding aura radiating off him made everyone hold their breath. Behind him, Andi followed closely, carrying a leather briefcase and a tablet like an executioner ready to carry out a sentence.

Mr. Wijaya narrowed his eyes. "Who are you? How dare you barge into my boardroom without an appointment?"

The man stopped right in front of the head table. Slowly, he removed his sunglasses, revealing eyes as cold and sharp as a scalpel.

It was Aris.

However, this was not the Aris who had worn flip-flops and a kitchen apron the night before. This was an Aris who exuded absolute power and dominance.

Mr. Wijaya gasped. His mouth hung open, unable to utter a single word. Mrs. Ratna stood beside him, nearly collapsing had she not held onto her chair.

"You..." Mr. Wijaya’s voice trembled. "How... how... Aris?"

Aris offered a faint smile—one that failed to reach his eyes. He pulled out the head chair, the very seat usually reserved for Mr. Wijaya, and sat down casually, as though he owned the entire building.

"Good morning, Mr. Wijaya. Mrs. Ratna," he greeted, his calm baritone voice carrying a heavy, crushing weight. "You seem surprised to see me. Are you not pleased to receive a visit from... your primary investor?"

"Investor?" Mrs. Ratna nearly shrieked. "You?! Don't talk nonsense! Yesterday you didn't even have enough money to buy dinner!"

Aris let out a soft chuckle, his laughter echoing in the dead silent room. "Yesterday, I was the son-in-law you treated like trash. But today..." Aris gestured to Andi.

Andi stepped forward and handed a stack of legal documents to Mr. Wijaya. "This is official proof of Nexus Global’s buyout of all Wijaya Construction debt. Legally speaking, Mr. Aris is now the majority shareholder and the principal creditor of this firm."

Mr. Wijaya picked up the documents with shaking hands. Every page he read felt like a brutal slap to the face. The figures staring back at him were astronomical—amounts his company could never hope to repay in a lifetime.

"Impossible..." Mr. Wijaya whispered. "You're just a low-level clerk! How could you possibly own Nexus Global?"

"That was your biggest mistake," Aris replied, crossing his legs comfortably. "You spent an entire year humiliating a man who could buy your company with his daily pocket money."

Suddenly, the boardroom doors swung open once more. Bella rushed in, out of breath after hearing rumors of a high-stakes investor's arrival. But her footsteps came to a dead halt the second she saw who sat in the chief executive's chair.

Her eyes widened in disbelief. The man she had driven away last night—the man she watched walk out into the pouring rain in a soaked shirt—was now sitting before her with the untouchable presence of a king.

"Aris?" Bella called out softly.

Aris turned his gaze toward her. His eyes softened for a fraction of a second before hardening into ice once more. "Mrs. Bella. Forgive me, but I am in the middle of a business meeting. Unless you have business relevant to the company's operations, I suggest you step outside."

"Aris, what are you doing? Don't lose your mind!" Bella took a step forward, reaching out toward his shoulder, but Andi instantly stepped in between them.

"Ma'am, please maintain your distance," Andi said coldly.

Aris looked at Bella with a expressionless face. "I haven't lost my mind, Bella. I am doing business. And in business, there is no room for past sentiment. You wanted me gone yesterday? Fine. Now, it's my turn to decide who gets to stay in this office."

Feeling his pride completely pulverized, Mr. Wijaya tried to fight back. "This is invalid! I’ll sue you in court! I will never sell this company to you!"

Aris stood up slowly. He walked over to Mr. Wijaya until there were only a few inches between them, then leaned in and whispered into the old man's ear.

"Court? You seem to forget, Mr. Wijaya... who has been secretly funding your entire company's operations for the past year? Every single one of those transactions constitutes tax fraud if I report them today. If you dare fight me, you won't just lose this company—you'll all end up behind bars."

Mr. Wijaya recoiled, his face turning as pale as a corpse. He stared at Aris with sheer terror. Only now did he realize that for an entire year, he had been harboring a tiger inside his own home.

Aris walked back to his seat, looking down at them with pure disdain. "Now, let us begin the meeting. First item on the agenda... the immediate termination of our incompetent board of directors."

Amidst the chilling atmosphere, Bella stood frozen. She watched her once-despised husband command absolute control over her family's fate. But what terrified Bella the most was the deep flash of resentment burning in the eyes of the man who had once loved her unconditionally.

The downfall of the Wijaya family had only just begun—and Aris had only laid down his very first card.